Viking boy by tony Bradman

Gunnar Bjornsson, a Viking, lives with his parents on their farmstead - an idyllic place to grow up.  Gunnar had a happy childhood but everything changed the night the Wolf Men came.  They killed his father and Gunnar escaped after watching Valkyries descend from the sky and take the body of his father to the halls of Valhalla. 

Gunnar vowed to avenge this act by travelling to Valhalla to bring back his father so they could kill the leader of the Wolf Men.  
On his journey, Gunnar was met by setbacks.  Being kidnapped and sold into slavery was not part of his plan.  However, with the help of some loyal friends he makes his was to the Land of Ice and Fire, across The Rainbow Bridge to Asgard and enters the Hall of Valhalla. 

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Will Gunnar wreak his vengeance on Skuli; head of the wolf me?  You will have to read the book to find out but it is well worth it.  
At 206 pages long the book is relatively short, a great length for a class read in years 5 or 6 and beyond.  It could be accessed by children in Y4 but teachers should use caution due to some of the content.  A number of characters lose their heads (literally.)

This story would be a great accompaniment to a Vikings history unit, allowing teachers to explore both the brutality of Viking life and elements of Norse Mythology. 

I prefer this text to 'How to Train Your Dragon' as a more realistic portrayal of Viking culture. 

Find out more about Tony Bradman and his school visits on his website here

Other Historical Texts by Tony Bradman

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More books with a Viking theme

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